Towards low-friction and wear-resistant plasma sintering dies via plasma surface co-alloying CM247 nickel alloy with V/Ag and N

Nickel based superalloys have good oxidation and creep resistance and hence they can function under high mechanical stress and high temperatures. However, their undesirable tribological behaviour is the major technical barrier to the challenging high-temperature, lubricant-free plasma sintering tool application. In this study, nickel based CM247 superalloy surfaces were co-alloyed using innovative active screen plasma technology with both interstitial element (e.g. N) and substitutional alloying elements (e.g. V and Ag) to provide a synergy effect to enhance its tribological properties. The tribological behaviour of the plasma co-alloyed CM247 superalloy surfaces were fully evaluated using reciprocal and pin-on-disc tribometers at temperatures from room temperature to 600 ∘C. The experimental results demonstrate that the co-alloyed surface with N, Ag and V can effectively lower the friction coefficient, which is expected to help demoulding during lubricant-free plasma sintering.